A few months ago, my brother and I, and our ministry, 4One Ministries, received an amazing opportunity to partner with Assemblies of God Home Missions working under Church Planters and Developers.
What does all this mean?
Basically, it means that we can raise financial and prayer support as missionaries to help us do the work that God has called us to do. Being completely honest, this blessing was absolutely necessary. After years of living by faith financially, God opening the door for churches to begin supporting us on a consistent financial basis was like manna from Heaven. We were so excited.
However, I have to admit that it wasn’t long until the “excitement” of the opportunity was replaced by the enormity of the task. As we made our proposed budget and starting making preparations to begin the actual fund-raising process, we quickly became overwhelmed.
Jamie described it like a mountain. It is such a big task!
Honestly, it’s a task for which we had no experience and at the time no training. (Thankfully, we’ve now received some training.)
It was scary!
And the more we looked at the mountain before us, the more we became almost paralyzed with fear. I mean, how were we ever going to raise our support? How could we do it? What if God didn’t provide?
Knowing there was no where else to go with these questions, and honestly being tired of talking to each other about them, I realized that it was time to seek God in prayer.
As I was pouring out my heart and my fears to Him, He reminded me of this Scripture in Zechariah4:4-5:
Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel:
It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’
Once again I was reminded how you conquer a mountain: through the power of God.
It’s not in your own strength or by your own power or skill. It isn’t because you’re so talented or gifted that you can do it on your own. Just like Zerubbabel, we complete tasks that seem beyond us through the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength and given to us by Jesus.
But that’s not where the verses end. Keep reading verses 4:6-10:
Then another message came to me from the Lord:
“Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
Did you see it?
Look closely.
One of the traps that too many Christians fall into is believing that mountains move magically.
In most cases they don’t.
What we see in these verses is that God starts off telling Zerubbabel that the seemingly impossible job of finishing the Temple will be completed by God’s might and power.
Woo Hoo!!
However, it doesn’t stop there.
In the next few verses God makes the point that Zerubbabel and the people need to do the actual work.
Then He says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”.
Straight truth: when God has called you to a task---any task---He isn’t going to do it for you. Yes, He will give you the wisdom and the strength; He’ll give you His power that enables you to do all things through Him. He’ll even work out circumstances and turn people’s hearts in your favor.
But He’s counting on you to do the work.
And He rejoices when He sees the work begin.
That is the challenge that lays before us all:
Don’t despise small steps---instead, begin taking small steps every day to follow God’s will for your life.
This doesn’t just apply to ministry.
Starting daily devotions is a small step.
Reading the Bible every day is a small step.
Having family devotions….
Beginning to follow God’s financial principles in your life….
Forgiving someone who hurt you….
Starting class to pursue your dream career….
Walking in obedience in an area where you’ve been compromising….
Each one of us has our own mountains to climb and they all begin with our own small beginnings and small steps.
Today the question is: Are you willing to start?
Like Zerubbabel, God wants to help you.
He wants you to overcome your mountain.
Are you willing to start taking the small steps to walk with Him?
As you begin, remember, He rejoices in seeing the work begin.
He beams from ear to ear when we start taking the steps necessary to fulfill His plan for our lives.
As we take our small steps, He smiles and says, “That’s my girl---let’s conquer that mountain!”
